Xigbars
by FriendsWithNature
Summary: Xigbar is a Nobody of many faces. Roxas discovers that merchandiser is one of them! A playful nod to that classic 2009 Rokushi fanfic "The Old Life Alive Again." Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. Slight Rokushi, more Larxel. Friendship, romance, drama, comedy.
1. Chapter 1 - Your Mission, and

**A/N: This story is a nod to The Old Life Alive Again by XionRoxas1314. It was a staple Rokushi fanfic back in 2009, wherein the Organization XIII members are resurrected after KH2 and everything goes back to the way it was in Days. Disney and Square Enix own the characters. That being said - enjoy, and please leave feedback!**

Chapter 1 - Your Mission, and You Have No Choice but to Accept It

_Xigbars?_

Roxas rubbed his eyes to ensure he wasn't seeing things. He blinked successively, and then refocused on the item on the grey coffee table before him.

_Xigbars. I'm not dreaming._

A cardboard box filled with protein bars covered in wrappers sporting the face of Organizing XIII's second member was staring back at him. Roxas sat down on the long couch, picked up a _Xigbar_™, and examined it curiously. Suddenly, the man of the hour warped into the Grey Area.

"Like those, kiddo? Feel free to try one! Can't promise they taste great, but they look awesome, am I right?" Xigbar smirked confidently, slicking back his graying black hair.

"Thanks…" Roxas said, peeling back the wrapper.

"Hey, careful with the face!" Xigbar interjected, snatching the bar from the blond boy's hands. "If you want anything done right around here…" he trailed off once he had successfully removed the wrapper without any injury to his likeness.

Roxas accepted the dense, charcoal-colored chewy block and cautiously took a bite. He resisted the urge to spit it back out, and forced himself to chew. And chew and chew and chew. It was a good minute until he was able to swallow whatever that was.

"So, what d'you think?" Xigbar asked proudly. "Not bad, right?"

"Sure…" Roxas managed to choke out. His throat felt dry.

"Tastes like wood!" a smooth voiced chimed in.

Roxas and Xigbar turned to see fiery-haired Axel sitting on the other end of the couch, grimacing with a half-eaten _Xigbar_™ in hand.

"Feh, what do you know about culinary genius?" Xigbar indignantly snatched up the box of remaining _Xigbars_™ from the coffee table. "You like Larxene's cooking!"

Roxas shuddered at the mention of Larxene's cooking. His tongue stung from the memory of the sour bacon she had prepared the other morning. Larxene loved adding lemons to everything - to an unhealthy extreme.

"At least Larx's food is exciting," Axel retorted.

"As if," Xigbar spat. "You'll realize you missed out when these babies sell like hotcakes. I was going to make you a business partner, but three strikes, you're out."

"I only counted two," the red-headed pyro smirked.

"And _that_ \- makes three." Xigbar opened a Corridor of Darkness and disappeared from sight. Axel shook his head and sighed, amused.

"I thought he didn't care about the taste," Roxas remarked, confused.

Axel laughed. "Who knows what his deal is?" He elbowed his young friend playfully. "Let's just hope neither of us ends up partnering with him on today's mission."

Minutes later, the other members of Organization XIII had gathered in the Grey Area awaiting assignments from Saix, who was uncharacteristically late. He wasn't the only one.

"Where's Xion?" Axel asked Roxas, realizing that the dark-haired girl hadn't accompanied the blond as she normally did.

Roxas's brows creased in concern. "I don't know. I stopped by her room after she didn't show up for breakfast. She wasn't there, but there was a note on her door saying _See you in the Grey Area_."

"That's not like her," Axel commented, scratching his head.

"Really? I didn't think much of it at the time, but now I'm worried," Roxas admitted.

Axel shook his head. "You're really that clueless, huh? She never skips breakfast with you, and she's not the type to leave notes. You know her better than that. Listen to your gut. Got it memorized?" He tapped the side of his temple for added effect, but Roxas didn't seem to notice.

The boy wrung his gloved hands absently. "Maybe I should go look for her," he decided.

Just as he rose from the couch, a corridor opened up on the opposite side of the room. In walked Xion – with Saix. The tall, blue-haired man had a hand firmly placed on the timid girl's shoulder, a clipboard in his other hand. Xion looked ashamed as he guided her into the center of the room.

Axel jumped to his feet the moment he caught sight of the girl's dejected visage. He made a beeline for his young friend being corralled by his former friend. "What's going on?" he demanded.

Saix met Axel's fiery glare with icy indifference. He then addressed the group. "Mission assignments have been set. Please pass around copies of the roster for details." He handed a stack of papers to Demyx who idled nearby. The sitarist groaned when he saw his name at the top of the roster. It didn't matter who he was going with; it was the fact that he was going at all.

Finally Saix turned aside to answer Axel. "Until Number 14 can pull its own weight, it will be working with me - under close observation."

Roxas absently accepted a mission roster from Lexaeus as he hurried over to join Axel. He shot Xion a panicked look when he overheard Saix's last statement. The girl didn't look up. She knew what result Saix's experiment would yield and she couldn't bear to face it. Her inability to summon the keyblade had only increased in the last week, and without it she would be deemed utterly useless to the Organization.

Axel's chest ached as he gazed down at sight of Xion's downcast expression. The sensation was soon followed by a tightening fury in his throat, a fire threatening to call forth his chakrams then and there in the supposed sanctuary of the Grey Area.

"Look," he managed to utter in a low voice, "If you have a problem with _us_-" he gestured between himself and his two young friends on either side of him "-then take it out on me. But _leave_ _them_ _out of it_."

Saix scoffed, then got in Axel's face and matched his intensity. "This isn't about _pretending_ to have friendships. It's about numbers. And Number 14 has been unable to meet the quota."

Before Axel could respond, Roxas cut in. "Xion is still learning how to wield the keyblade! Please send her on a mission with me." He put a hand to his chest. "As the only other keyblade wielder in the Organization, I can help her learn the right techniques."

Xion lifted her head and Axel looked at Saix.

Saix looked ready to retort, but refrained and considered the boy's request. "I will bring it up with Xemnas," he said presently "If he approves, you two will be paired tomorrow. However, he has already signed off on today's roster. Number 14 goes with me."

_Tomorrow. I can survive one day._

The faintest smile spread across Xion's face. She glanced over at Axel and Roxas who wore their disappointment plainly. She addressed them, speaking for the first time that morning. "We'll still see each other tonight, right? At our usual spot?"

Now her friends smiled. "Yeah," Roxas promised, while Axel nodded confidently.

As Saix turned away from them to open a dark corridor, Xion could have sworn she glimpsed him roll his eyes. If she could feel, she thought that sadness would have been appropriate at that moment. Not for herself, but for Saix.

"First, let's see how many hearts you can collect in Halloween Town," Saix said, his back to Xion.

Roxas glared at Saix. He had spoken calmly enough, but he must have somehow known that Halloween Town was one of Xion's most challenging worlds. But Xion didn't seem to mind. She waved at Roxas and Axel with a hopeful grin, anticipating their reunion at the day's end, then followed Saix into the dark corridor.

Roxas and Axel exchanged glances, but before either could speak Larxene walked over and draped her arm over Axel's shoulder. "You. Me. Wonderland."

Axel met her eyes. "That sounds oddly seductive."

"Ew." Larxene immediately let go of him. "Leave it to you to think like that. In front of a kid, no less!" She turned away pretending to be disgusted, but she was smirking in amusement.

Roxas regarded them both curiously. He had no idea what they meant, but for some reason he felt heat rising to his face. As they headed for a dark corridor together, a different realization hit Roxas. _I'm not going with Axel today. Then who am I-?_ His thought was stopped short when he looked down at the roster in his hand and saw the name next to his. The sensation that overcame him felt as though his chest had fallen into his stomach. It was followed by a physical slap on the shoulder. Roxas was paired with none other than-

"Ready to sell my merch, Kiddo?"

_Xigbar… _Roxas sighed loudly.

"Hey, why the long face? You look like Vexen!" Xigbar laughed.

Vexen, who had almost completely disappeared into a dark corridor after Xaldin, stuck his head out just in time to yell, "I do **not** have a horse face!" before the corridor swallowed him up entirely.

Roxas inhaled deeply, as though sucking in his dread to contain it. "It's nothing," he lied. "I'm ready." _It's going to be a long day_.


	2. Chapter 2 - Sizzle, Pop, Sour!

Chapter 2 - Sizzle, Pop, Sour!

Larxene's high-pitched laughter bounced between tall verdant hedges as she and Axel materialized into the Wonderland maze. Most of the Organization couldn't stand her laugh, but Axel was one of two who didn't mind it. Her laugh meant that she had something up her sleeve, and that always proved to be interesting.

"Someone's in a good mood," he remarked. "Give me a few minutes to catch up with ya."

"What, did sourpuss Saix make you think you have feelings?" Larxene teased. Noticing Axel's eyes dart away uncomfortably, she realized that she had struck a nerve. Instead of pressing into the pain as she normally did, she found herself strangely compelled to empathize with the sorry-looking guy.

She leaned against an ivory trellis dressed in scarlet climbing roses and sighed. "Saix can be _such_ a bully. He lets his position as Xemnas' right-hand-Nobody go to his head! " She produced her throwing knives out of thin air and balanced them between her fingers absently. "The other day he got up in my business for destroying a town landmark. Excuse me, I'm one of your most efficient fighters. You get your numbers, I get to play by my rules. Xemnas doesn't give a damn, so why should he?" she pouted.

"He's driven. Always has been," Axel explained, a far-off look in his eyes. His next words came out as barely a whisper, "Just didn't expect it would drive us apart." The red-headed looked more dejected than before.

"Since when have you been type to let drama slow you down?" Larxene poked his chest. "Let's get on with the mission. You'll 'feel' better after you bash in some Heartless skulls." She resumed down the path.

Axel smirked. "You have a way with words, Larx." He found his stride next to her and produced his chakrams. "Alright; let's set this maze on fire!"

Larxene laughed and faced him. "There's that spark! Now use that-" she tapped the side of his temple playfully "-to try to keep up with me. Got it memorized?" She winked, then ran ahead of him and rounded a corner. Axel gave pursuit, a huge grin on his face. He would never admit it, but this reckless woman almost made him feel alive.


	3. Chapter 3 - Product Placement

Chapter 3 - Product Placement

A wave of heat accosted Roxas as he exited the cool dark corridor and emerged into the sandy marketplace of Agrabah. It felt as though the sun was targeting his black leather coat, trapping him in a wearable oven. Coming here with Xion somehow made Agrabah's weather tolerable, but being here with Xigbar now made it ten times worse. And the "best" part? It was six in the morning; it was only going to get hotter from here.

Xigbar seemed unphased by the drastic change in temperature as he wheeled a dolly stacked high with crates of his precious product into the center of the marketplace. At some point - Roxas hadn't noticed when - Xigbar had rolled up his coat sleeves and procured a clear visor for his head. "C'mon kid, this place is about to be bustling with Somebodies. An 'anonymous seller' promised the good paying merchants of Agrabah two dozen _Xigbars_ each. We gotta drop these babies off and get out of sight!"

Hot and miserable, Roxas couldn't refrain from speaking his mind, "Is this _really_ our mission?"

Xigbar didn't bother to feign injury; he was in full-on business mode. "Hey, what Xemnas doesn't know, can't hurt him. Besides, when extra munny finds its way into the Org's treasury, he won't be complaining. This just means a little less time for us to meet our Heartless quota for the day, but that won't be a problem for you - right, Champ?"

_Great. I'm aiding and abetting a criminal _and _slacking on the job. This will definitely convince Saix to trust me with Xion…_ Roxas shook his head woefully. At least, he assumed this classified as aiding and abetting. Axel had taught him the term while complaining about the time Luxord had gotten him involved with a pirate gambling ring in Neverland under the guise of reconnaissance. Once his mind had finished wandering, Roxas found himself carrying an armful of _Xigbars_ to the nearest food stall.

"Be sure you put those next to the most popular item- In fact, shove that item aside," Xigbar called from the banana stand across the street. "It'll really throw the customers off. Helps them find what they didn't realize they were looking for: an energizing, on-the-go snack!"

Roxas obeyed mechanically, dropping the protein bars in front of a plate piled high with pita bread.

Xigbar was over his shoulder in a flash. "No, no, no - you lack style, Kid!"

Roxas eyed Xigbar's visor, confused. "What does what I'm wearing have to do with anything?"

"_As if_. It's not you; it's your methods! Move aside and I'll show you how it's done." Xigbar stepped up to the stall and cracked his knuckles in preparation. "Advertising is an art form," he began. He closed his uncovered eye and took in a deep, calming breath before opening it. "Observe," he instructed.

Roxas crouched eye level to the table and watched Xigbar's hands rearrange the _Xigbars_ in a flurry of movement. Seconds later, the finished product revealed itself: a stack of _Xigbars_ perfectly mimicking a pyramid of gold munny bars. Momentarily forgetting his discomfort, Roxas let out a genuinely impressed, "Whoa." Somehow the man had managed to make his bland, chewy snack look appealing.

Xigbar crossed his arms, clearly pleased with Roxas' response. "I know, right? If this 'complete Kingdom Hearts' gig goes south, think I'll take up marketing. Speaking of," he glanced at the sun's position in the sky, "We have 5 more cases to unpack before we gotta get back to the main mission."

Roxas's shoulders slumped forward in defeat. He dragged his feet to the nearest open crate and began stuffing his pockets with _Xigbars_. Beads of sweat accumulated on his face as the sun rose higher into the sky. A shadow passed over, providing momentary relief.

Roxas paused to look upward at a lone cloud drifting in the sky, shaped like a seashell. "I wonder how Xion is doing," he whispered to himself. "I hope somehow she's having a better mission than me. But, with Saix..." He fisted his hands, accidentally crushing a _Xigbar_™ in the process. He realized his mistake, but it was too late - Xigbar noticed.

"Hey, careful with the merchandise!"


	4. Chapter 4 - Rivals in Arms

Chapter 4 - Rivals in Arms

Xion went from one darkness into the next as she and Saix entered Halloween Town. There was little activity, which was not surprising considering nighttime was giving way to an overcast dawn. Saix stopped near the summit of Curly Hill and faced Xion.

"According to recent reconnaissance, a swarm of Wight Knights and Chimera has been plaguing this area at dawn," he explained, not meeting her eyes. "Our informant had planned to extinguish this threat themself, but Xemnas thought it best to send in a keyblade wielder and use this opportunity to harvest hearts."

Xion didn't understand why Saix chose such vague terms to explain the situation. She knew everyone in the Organization, so why refer to any of them simply as an "informant"? Further, she knew who the unnamed Nobody was. Axel had told her about his mission last night while they were waiting for Roxas to arrive with their ice cream. He had a feeling Xemnas would send one of them in his stead and joked about needing to become a keyblade wielder himself.

_Saix doesn't trust me, _Xion decided. She fisted her gloved hands and released a pent-up breath. _I _can't _fail to summon my keyblade today_.

She extended her arm and closed her eyes to concentrate. Her elbow threatened to buckle from all the nervous energy that was coursing through her. Determination overcame doubt, and with the slightest faith that her keyblade would appear Xion summoned it. She opened her eyes in time to see light shimmering in her palm as the keyblade materialized. A confident smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Half the battle was won.

Saix stood aside, watching her with arms crossed, unimpressed by the amount of time it took Xion to summon her keyblade. "_When_ you are ready…"

Xion refused to allow his cold demeanor to phase her this time. "I'm ready," she nodded.

Saix began down the hill, leaving the a battle area. "Then steel yourself. I will be around to heal you if absolutely necessary, but the rest is up to you."

'_Absolutely necessary?' It doesn't sound like he's going to be generous..._

Xion barely had time to react as a rush of Heartless suddenly came at her from over the crest of the hill. Approximately twenty Wight Nights and twenty Chimera moved in unison to form a pillar, as though the appendage of an invisible puppetmaster.

Xion was surprised that her body dashed out of harm's way; she was frozen in her thoughts. _I've never seen so many Heartless together! Is this really a swarm, or is it a new kind of Heartless? _Axel had remarked that this foe was "crazy," but he hadn't explained how.

Xion tightened her grip on the hilt of her weapon and pushed her free palm against the flat edge of her keyblade, ready to counter as she tried to read the pillar's spastic movements. It seemed to be studying her in return, swaying high in both directions before rushing towards her again.

She darted sideways to avoid being swept away, still holding her keyblade up defensively. It made contact with two Chimeras at the front, knocking them both out of the swarm.

_This is my chance!_ Xion swung at one of the downed Chimera, hitting it at various weak points. She attacked with such vigor and insinstance that it did not have the chance to break free before she utterly destroyed it. A heart exited its disappearing body and floated up to the sky.

_Yes! Now for the other one! _ Xion went for the remaining Chimera's head. It retaliated a few times but she managed to block its attacks and then weaken its health considerably. Right when she was about to finish it off, she felt the wind whip around her. She turned to her head left just in time to meet a wall of Heartless eyes before she felt her breath forcibly leave her body.

The world spun around her as the sensation of flying disoriented her. It was soon replaced by a crippling pain that shot up her spine as she met the ground. She yelped. Her pulse pounded in her ears, like a siren wailing over her failing health. She lay there dazed, afraid to move lest she cause pain to travel further across her body, but she knew she had to get up. She felt the wind again.

She attempted to prop herself onto her elbows, but they buckled beneath her as her nerves fired off in protest. She let out an agonizing yell. The wind howled as the swarm grew closer. She clenched the dirt beneath her fists to brace for impact. Only one thought ran through her mind: _Survive_.

Suddenly, a claymore planted itself between Xion and the swarm. With no time to change trajectory, the swarm barreled into the blade and was cleaved in two, splitting off around her on both sides. None of the Heartless appeared to be injured, but now they were two smaller pillars.

She finally heard a voice over the pounding noise in her head. "Take this potion!" A small jar was thrust into her hand. She managed to pop off the cork and down the contents.

"Thanks, Saix," Xion said, her strength and clarity returning to her. Her pulse calmed, and she regarded the man standing defensively in front of her.

"On your feet," Saix ordered without looking back. "And never let your guard down again."

Xion complied to the first order and stood next to him, keyblade ready. "I'm sorry."

"There is no room for failure," he said tersely. Then his tone softened slightly, replaced chiefly with a sense of urgency, "This enemy is relentless. I've never seen anything like them - individual Heartless acting with a unified mind. Not only that, but they have more than doubled in number since the last report. I would have sent both you and Roxas on this mission had I known the current magnitude of this enemy."

Xion was surprised by Saix's transparency. He almost sounded apologetic - maybe even willing to give her ability the benefit of the doubt, despite the fact that she had only succeeded to down one Chimera before almost getting herself killed.

"I'll do whatever you need me to," Xion offered, determined not to fail him this time.

Saix thought for a moment, regarding the wiggling pillars of Heartless on either side of them, the surviving Chimera from earlier rejoining with the group on the left. Then he decided, "You take the swarm to the right, I will take the one to the left; however, I will only weaken them. You must make the finishing blows; you need to release their hearts."

Xion nodded. "Understood." _I can do this._

"One more thing-" Saix added as the pillars began to move toward them, "-if at all possible, try to keep them as one unified beast." He noticed Xion's surprised look and clarified, "Yes, they are stronger this way. However, they are impossible to lose track of. If they do split apart again, individual Heartless will only distract you from the larger, more dangerous enemy at hand."

"I'll give it my all," Xion promised.

Saix gave her a sideways glance which Xion took as disbelief, but then he nodded. "Very well. To arms!" With that, he rushed forward to meet the left-hand swarm.

Xion followed suit, giving out a determined battle cry as she raced to confront her enemy head-on.


	5. Chapter 5 - Of Sea Salt and Friendship

Chapter 5 - Of Sea Salt and Friendship

Roxas, dressed in a clean Organization coat, left the locker room of the Castle That Never Was, towel-drying his hair. He was anxious to meet his friends for ice cream, mainly to make sure that Xion was okay after her mission in Halloween Town.

He swung by his room briefly to deposit his bundle of dirty laundry into the hamper by his bed and to finish styling his hair. He hurriedly scrunched some gel into his hair and haphazardly spiked it into its signature look, then blindly tossed his towel towards his bed. It missed and landed on his nightstand, which was next to an open window. The force with which it landed threatened to knock over his Mickey Mouse alarm clock. Roxas reached out and stabilized the clock just in time.

"Fewf, that was close!" He looked out the window and down at the long drop below. "Imagine if that'd landed on somebody's head! I'd be in so much trouble." With that, he shut the window, flipped off the lights, and left his room.

Roxas was the first one at the clock tower. He sat down on the ledge slowly, sea salt ice cream in hand, concern creasing his brows. "Weird. Usually Axel is here before me."

As if in response, Axel appeared with his ice cream. "Hey Roxas, you're early."

Roxas craned his neck to look up at the giant clock face behind them. "You're right," he admitted, turning to watch his tall friend sit next him. "Guess I was in a hurry today."

"Where's the fire?" Axel asked, then chuckled at his own joke. "I mean, other than me." He smirked.

"Oh yeah, you're real hot stuff," Roxas said sarcastically, lightly punching Axel's shoulder. He laughed briefly, then grew somber. "I'm worried about Xion," he admitted, staring at his ice cream.

"Yeah," Axel agreed, leaning back on his elbows. "Saix chose a pretty big mission for her. But she can handle it. You saw her when she left; she wasn't worried about herself. So we should have faith in her. Got it memorized?"

"Didn't you say just last week that friends worry about each other?" Roxas asked, genuinely confused.

"We do," Axel admitted. "It's only natural. But, at the same time, we need to trust each other."

"I trust you both with my life," Roxas replied fervently.

Axel was taken aback by his young friend's earnesty. He didn't know how to respond. "Me too," he said presently, but he immediately felt guilty. He trusted Roxas, but there were things he swore he could never let Roxas know.

"You guys never let me down," Roxas added, after finishing a bite of ice cream. "I can't say the same for Xigbar."

At this Axel sputtered, trying not to spew liquified ice cream from his mouth. He swallowed hard and gasped, "You actually got paired with Xigbar today?!"

"Yes!" Roxas exclaimed, exasperated. "I don't see what's so funny about it."

"Geez," Axel shook his head in disbelief but remained highly amused. "Next time I won't speak it into existence."

"Please don't," Roxas groaned. "Not only did I have to unpack and display dozens of Xigbars _exactly_ how he wanted them, but I also had to complete the entire mission by myself. And, once we finally could RTC, he dragged me to two other worlds!"

"Ouch. That can't be legal. You should mention it to Saix." Axel pointed matter-of-factly with his ice cream pop.

"No." Roxas shook his head admanetly. "I don't want to give him any reason to doubt my ability to train Xion."

It was Axel's turn to shake his head. "I don't see how that would…" But, knowing his young friend's mind was made up, he left it at that.

Roxas craned his neck up awkwardly once more to glance at the clock face. "Okay, now she's late. What's taking them so long? Did Saix stick her with KP duty, too?"

"Nope! He and Luxord are handling that tonight," stated a familiar female voice. Axel smirked as he watched Roxas's excited reaction to Xion's long-awaited arrival.

"Xion! What took you? Are you okay?"

Xion, sea salt ice cream in hand, took a seat next to Roxas. She demurely pushed her black hair behind her ear, revealing a bandage on her jawline. "I had to stop at the med bay after washing up." Noticing her friends' concerned expressions, she quickly assured them, "But I'm fine. It's just a scratch."

"Saix didn't make you do all the fighting, did he?" Roxas asked, accusation ripe in his voice. "That would be like him," he decided angrily. "Micromanaging us but never getting his hands dirty."

"No, he actually was a big help," Xion replied. "I honestly couldn't have done it without him."

At this, Axel looked surprised. "Okay, I know those Heartless on Curly Hill were acting weird, but were they really _that _hard?"

"There were 40 of them," the girl said plainly.

Axel's eyes widened and he sat up at full attention. "40? There were only 10 when I found them yesterday!"

Roxas glanced between his friends on either side of him, discerning the gravity of the situation by the fear in Axel's voice.

"We defeated them all, though. Except for two. Saix captured them so Vexen could study their strange fighting style," Xion explained.

"How could Saix send you on such a dangerous mission?" Roxas asked, fuming.

"And why didn't he reassign you?" Axel added, clearly as upset.

"That's just it; he didn't know how dangerous it was until we got there. By then it was too late!" Xion was fed up with her friends' accusations. "Saix saved my life and taught me a lot. I know he's been hard on us, but he's really not a bad guy. Axel, I thought you of all people would know that." She turned her head away from them grumpily.

The boys looked equal parts surprised and ashamed; Axel especially.

"You're right. I'm sorry," the redhead admitted quietly. "All this time I thought he had left me behind. But I've done the same to him."

A small, satisfied smile tugged at the corners of Xion's mouth, and she faced her friends again. "It's not too late to fix that," she said gently, meeting Axel's eyes.

Axel rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, but chuckled. "Easier said than done. But I'm going to start by giving him the benefit of the doubt." Xion nodded approvingly, then licked her ice cream.

"I'm sorry, too," Roxas apologized sincerely. "I shouldn't have expected the worst from Saix."

"There are people we can't trust," Axel clarified, "But Isa's not one of them."

Roxas and Xion smiled at each other, knowing Axel hadn't noticed he used Saix's true name. It was a good start.

"So, how did your missions go?" Xion asked, eager for a chance to finish her melting ice cream.

"Mine? Not so great," Roxas said sheepishly. "But at least it's over!" He was trying to stay optimistic for Xion. "But it seems like Axel and Larxene had a good one." He elbowed his tall friend, although not entirely sure why he did so.

"Really, Axel? Tell us about it!"

Axel reddened but didn't try to hide his face, hoping the crimson in his cheeks passed off as the setting sun's glow. "Nothing to tell. The usual bash-em-in Heartless crowd control routine. But, that does remind me-" he stood up and pocketed his LOSER popsicle stick, "-I have to get to bed early. Larx and I ended up getting drawn for KP duty tomorrow morning."

'_Larx.'_ Xion and Roxas exchanged curious glances. There clearly was a lot Axel wasn't telling them, but, at that moment, Xion remembered something entirely different.

"Before you go-" she jumped to her feet to stop the pyro from leaving. "On our way out of Halloween Town, Saix and I stopped by the market to replenish our potions, when a local merchant gave me free snacks! I told her I usually snack on ice cream with my friends, but she promised me that this snack would make the bond of friendship even stronger! I wanted to pay for it, but she insisted it was a free sample and made sure I took a lot. And you won't believe who made these snacks!" With that, Xion proudly produced 3 shiny _Xigbars_ from her pocket.

Her friends couldn't contain themselves. Axel collapsed against the clock wall in a fit of laughter, and Roxas first groaned, then laughed, so loudly it could be heard all throughout Twilight Town.

Their reactions threw Xion for a loop. "Did I miss something?" she asked, blinking.

Unable to give a straight answer, the boys pulled her down into a playful group hug, and she found herself laughing, too. Suddenly, a terrifying thought crossed her mind.

"Wait, don't tell me they're no good! I gave one to Saix!"

FIN


End file.
